How to Download Purchased Songs from iTunes

If you’re using iTunes to purchase your music and want to listen whilst offline, this article will show you how to download your songs.

For your continuous listening enjoyment, we’ll go through the steps on how to download your favorite tracks on Mac, PC, iOS, and Android devices. Plus, we’ll look at how to set up the automatic download feature, and answer some other commonly asked questions surrounding this topic.

Download Purchased iTunes Songs on MacOS

Launch the Music app on your Mac, then:

1. Select “iTunes Store” from the sidebar.
2. If “iTunes Store” is not available, select “Music Preferences” then “General,” and ensure “iTunes Store” is checked, then click “Ok.”
   
3. Towards the top-right of the “iTunes Store,” below “Quick Links,” select “Purchased.”
4. Towards the top-right, select “Music.”
   • All your purchases that are available for download are displayed, including your past purchases or music not currently in your library.
   • Purchases can be viewed by artist, song, or album. To see which songs in an album are available to download, select “album.”
   • To find a particular item to download, enter its name or a keyword into the search text field.
5. Click on an item’s Download button to download it.

Download Purchased iTunes Songs on Windows 10

Launch the Music app on your PC, then:

1. From the top-left pop-up menu, select “Music” > “Store.”
   
2. Towards the top-right, below “Quick Links,” select “Purchased” > “Music.”
   
   • All your purchases that are available for download are displayed, including your past purchases or music not currently in your library.
   • Purchases can be viewed by artist, song, or album. To see which songs in an album are available to download, select “album.”
   • To find a particular item to download, enter its name or a keyword into the search text field.
3. Click on an item’s Download button to download it.

Download Purchased iTunes Songs on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod

Downloading your purchased iTunes songs to your iOS device can be done using the Apple Music or iTunes app. To download from Apple Music:

1. On your iOS device, launch Apple Music, and at the bottom-left corner select the “Library” icon.
   
2. Select either “Artists,” “Albums,” or “Songs.”
   
3. There you will see a list of your selection and a red cloud icon next to your items waiting to be downloaded.
4. Tap on the cloud icon.
   

To download from iTunes:

1. On your iOS device, launch iTunes.
   
2. On your iPhone or iPod touch select “More,” found towards the bottom of the screen, then “Purchased.” From an iPad, select “Purchased.”
   
3. Select “Music.”
   
4. Locate the music you wish to download then tap on the cloud icon next to the song.
   

Download Purchased iTunes Songs on Android Phone or Tablet

There isn’t an iTunes app for Android, but there is one for Apple Music. Therefore, you can sync your purchased iTunes from your PC or Mac to Apple Music then download it to your Android device.

Ensure that you are signed into iTunes and Apple Music using the same Apple ID. You will also need an Apple Music subscription.

1. From your PC or Mac launch the iTunes app.
   
2. Select “Edit,” then “Preferences.”
   
3. From the “General” tab, ensure the “iCloud Music Library” option is checked then “Ok” to confirm.
   
4. If you need to manually start the sync to your iCloud storage, select “File” > “Library” > “Update iCloud Music Library.”
   
   • Allow time for your entire library to sync.
5. Once the sync is complete, launch the Apple Music app on your Android.
   
6. Select “Library” from the bottom.
   
7. Select the “Songs” tab, then locate the song you wish to download.
   
8. Click on the download icon.
   

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Can’t I Download My iTunes Purchased Songs?

Try the following to help troubleshoot and hopefully allow you to download your iTunes music:

Check if the Purchase Transaction Was Completed

A loss of internet connection or an error at Apple’s end could have resulted in an incomplete transaction. To confirm whether the transaction went through from an iPhone device:

1. Launch the iTunes app, then click on “More” found at the bottom-left of the screen.

2. Click on “Purchased,” then “Music.”

3. If the song isn’t listed, then you were not charged. In that case, try to purchase the song[s] again then download.

Check Your Available Downloads

It could be that the song[s] you attempted to download was interrupted during the process.

1. On your iOS device, launch Apple Music, and at the bottom-left corner select the “Library” icon.

2. Select either “Artists,” “Albums,” or “Songs.”

3. There you will see a list of your selection, and a red cloud next to your items waiting to be downloaded.

4. To download tap on the cloud.

To download from iTunes:

1. On your iOS device, launch iTunes.

2. On your iPhone or iPod touch select “More,” found towards the bottom of the screen, then “Purchased.” From an iPad, select “Purchased.”

3. Select “Music.”

4. Locate the music you wish to download then tap on the cloud next to the song.

Check That You Have Sufficient iCloud and Device Space

To check your iCloud storage status:

1. On your iOS device, select “Settings,” > (your name) > “iCloud.”

2. On your Mac, click on the Apple menu then “System Preferences,” > “Apple ID,” > “iCloud.”

3. On your PC, launch “iCloud.”

4. Launch a browser and sign in to iCloud.com to check your “Account Settings.”

To check your iOS device storage status:

1. Launch the “Settings” app.

2. Select “General” then “iPhone Storage.”

To check your Android device storage status:

1. Select “Apps” from your home screen.

2. Click on “Settings.”

3. Select either “Device maintenance,” “Device care,” or scroll down to “Storage.”

Note: Some types of content purchased previously may not be available in particular countries or regions. Previous purchases may become unavailable if they are no longer in the iTunes store.

If you are still unable to download your purchases, consider contacting the Apple Support team.

Can You Still Purchase Songs in iTunes?

Yes, individual songs can still be purchased on iTunes. To do this from an iPhone:

1. Launch the iTunes app.

2. Select “Music” at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

3. Find the song you want to purchase.

4. Click on the price next to it.

5. Sign in with your Apple ID credentials to complete the purchase.

Can Apps Still Sync Through iTunes?

Yes, you can sync your app information. iTunes can be used for syncing contacts, calendar entries, and your Safari bookmarks on your computer with your iOS device; this information can also be synched the other way round.

To synch your info from your PC to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

1. Connect your device to your computer either using a USB cable or Wi-Fi connection.

2. On your PC, launch the iTunes app then at the top-left, click on the device button.

3. Click on “Info,” select the items you wish to sync then “Apply.”

To synch your info from your PC to your iPod classic, nano, or shuffle:

1. Connect your device to your computer either using a USB cable or Wi-Fi connection.

2. On your PC, launch the iTunes app then at the top-left, click on the device button.

3. Click on “Info,” select the items you wish to sync.

Any time you connect your iPod to your computer your contact and calendar information will be updated. Your information can also be updated anytime by selecting “File” > “Sync iPod in iTunes.”

Can Music Still Sync Through iTunes?

Yes, when you subscribe to Apple Music, your music transfers automatically to all your devices. You can also sync a selection of all of the music on your PC to your devices.

How Do I Download Previously Purchased Music From iTunes?

To redownload your purchased music on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

1. On your device, launch the iTunes app.

2. At the bottom of the screen select “More,” then “Purchased.”

3. Select “Music,” locate and select the music you want to redownload.

4. Click on the download icon.

How Do I Get My Music to Automatically Download on My iPhone?

To turn on automatic iTunes downloads on your iOS device:

1. Sign in to iTunes on your device, with the same Apple ID used to sign in to iTunes on your PC.

2. On your device’s home screen, select “Settings” then “iTunes & App Stores.”

3. Select each type of content you want automatically downloaded e.g., “Music,” “Books & Audiobooks” etc.

To turn on automatic downloads on your computer:

1. On your PC, launch the iTunes app.

2. Select “Edit,” > “Preferences,” then “Downloads.”

3. Underneath “Automatic Downloads,” Select each type of content you want to download automatically e.g., “Music,” “Books & Audiobooks” etc.

Note: Purchased items will be downloaded to your computer and other devices when iTunes is open, and the purchase was made on another computer or device.

Items are downloaded when iTunes is next accessed, or when you choose “Account” > “Check for Available Downloads” if it wasn’t open at the time of purchase.

Offline Playback Access to Your iTunes Music

With iTunes, you have offline access to your music once it’s downloaded to your device. This comes in handy when you want to choose which device to store your music on, and eradicates reliance on a Wi-Fi connection for streaming.

Now that we’ve shown you how to download your songs for uninterrupted enjoyment, we’d like to know whether you were successful in downloading all the songs you wanted? Do you use the automatic download feature? If so, does it work as expected? Please leave a comment in the comments section below.